The release date of Kangana Ranaut’s political-drama Emergency has been reportedly postponed as it has been facing legal heat from Sikh groups across the country. It was earlier scheduled to be released on September 6 but is yet to be cleared by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).
As per trade analyst Taran Adarsh, the film’s release has been postponed. He took to twitter to share the news and wrote, “Breaking News. Emergency postponed. Won't release on 6 Sept 2024.” There has been no official confirmation from the makers yet.
Kangana plays the role of former prime minister Indira Gandhi in the film, who had invoked Emergency in the country from June 1975 to March 1977.
Outrage against the film began when the film’s trailer was released recently, which contained some portions that were deemed objectionable by the Sikhs. It contains a part where late Khalistani leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale says to a political leader, “Your party wants votes, and we want Khalistan.” Sikh groups contend that such a demand was never made by him.
Apart from the Sikh groups, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) joined the call for banning the film. And the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) sent a legal notice to the producers of the film, demanding the removal of the objectionable scenes.
Besides, a criminal complaint has been filed against the actor in the Chandigarh District Court alleging she hurt the religious sentiments of the Sikhs. A Public Interest Litigation has also been filed before the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking revocation of the movie’s certificate for public release.
Kangana had issued a video on X last week saying that the film has not yet received a censor certificate. She said, "There are rumours that our film Emergency has got a censor certificate. It is not true. In fact, our film was cleared earlier but it's certification has been stopped because of several threats."
Emergency is also directed by Kangana and is her first film since she won a seat from Mandi in the Lok Sabha elections.